Broken Youth
by Wizardly-K9
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki is an infamous ronin, and currently the most wanted samurai in Hinokuni after the Hyuga clan puts a bounty on his head. Having grown up being told that his father was a traitor to the shogunate, Naruto is desperate to prove his father's innocence and clear his name. And hopefully clear his own while he's at it. AU
1. A Long Way Down the Road

**Chapter I - A Long Way Down the Road**

* * *

True men of legend are hard to come by. Either they fail to live up to their myths, or they turn out to be cowards who never deserved them in the first place. In this era, mythbusters were a common thing: ronin, bounty hunters and martial art disciples who loved putting rumors to the test. Though, there was one man that even they knew not to cross blades with. One man who's sword preserved his reputation. One man who always left a new corpse for every mile he walked. A samurai who had never tasted defeat. His name was Naruto Uzumaki – the Orange Flash.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean you can't give me the reward?" the Orange Flash barked so loudly, local wildlife around the shrine scattered in surprise.

From outside the weathered road shrine, Naruto heard a sigh. "**Naruto, even you must know why I can't give you the reward for this bounty.**"

"Because you suddenly became some cheap bastard overnight? Do you know how long its been since I've had a decent meal, Zetsu? I've been eating nothing but plum berries for the past six weeks!"

"Actually, plum berries are an excellent source of nutrition. They're a much better to snack than most of the things you can buy in a town," Naruto's captured bounty explained.

"Can it, Bushy Brows," Naruto ordered.

He tugged at the rope bounding the bushy-browed young man's wrists. The man in green had been exceptionally tough for Naruto to capture. No doubt his trickiest bounty yet. He ran at speeds that Naruto thought impossible for a human being to reach. After chasing the green beast for nearly a week, Naruto finally cornered him and claimed his bounty. Unfortunately, it looked like he wouldn't be claiming the reward that went with it.

Naruto glared at the rickety shrine. He couldn't see Zetsu, who was hiding inside like he always was, but he knew the enigmatic bounty collector could feel his scorn.

"Stop playing around and hand over the reward, Zetsu!" Naruto exclaimed again.

"**I can't give rewards for bounties to another bounty**," Zetsu said calmly.

Naruto paused. "Huh?"

The shrine's door slid open a crack. Through the opening, Zetsu held out a poster that Naruto squinted to look at. His eyes widened what he recognized his face on the poster. His ears had been enlarged to that of an ape, and his lips looked like they could suck entire lake dry, but that spiky hair and those whiskers were irrefutable.

"What the hell is this? I'm wanted?" Naruto asked "What did I do? …and why the hell is my bounty so high? It's over five times what's on Bushy Brow's head!"

"Do you really not remember?" Zetsu's second voice asked. "You'd think you recall the time you ravaged the Hyuga clan's princess."

"What? That never happened! I don't even know who the Hyuga clan's princess is!"

"So you assaulted a stranger, then? Naruto, I never imagined you'd be a serial rap-"

"I'm not! I didn't touch any girl while I was in the town the Hyuga clan lives in! I've been framed!"

Naruto felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Naruto, I understand your pain," Bushy Brows said with a somber look. "For I too have been accused of a crime I did not commit. The injustice in this world makes the youth in my blood boil!"

"Youth in your blood?" Naruto repeated.

Zetsu's first voice grumbled. "**Anyway, I can't give you the reward for any bounties so long as you're wanted yourself. Sorry, Naruto. You should probably avoid towns for a little while.**"

"Wait! Zetsu! I'm telling you that I-"

Naruto's last words only echoed back at him. Zetsu's presence could no longer be felt inside the shrine. He had vanished from thin air like he always did. Naruto gritted his teeth.

_'Damn the Hyuga!' _he thought.

Still pissed, Naruto turned to Bushy Brows and dug into his kimono sleeve. The green beast's round eyes lit up with terror when Naruto withdrew a kaiken and unsheathed it in front of him.

"W-wait! Naruto, just because you can no longer claim my bounty doesn't mean-"

"Shut up and stand still," Naruto said while grabbing one his hands.

He slid his kaiken into the rope's knot and sliced it loose in one motion. The bewildered bounty held his newly free hands up to his face. He couldn't believe it. His eyes began to water.

"Naruto, I cannot believe you're such a kind-"

Naruto walked off without hearing the rest. He couldn't claim the jump suit wearing man's bounty, so he was done with him. He was already halfway down the road when a mighty gust kicked up out of nowhere. A small typhoon formed in front of Naruto. When it died down leaves fluttered and the green beast was standing in front of him.

"May I have your attention for a moment?" he asked.

Naruto huffed and rested his hand on his katanas. "What do you want Bushy Brows?"

"My name is Rock Lee. I am a shinobi wandering Hinokuni in search of the remnants of youth."

"Remnants of youth?" Naruto recited while scratching his head.

Rock Lee nodded. "But I will put that mission aside for now. I was framed for a crime I did not commit, but you let me go."

_'No. I didn't. I just couldn't get the reward for your bounty is all.'_

"I now owe you my life. I will stay in your shadow until I can repay my debt to you."

Naruto was completely stunted. Did Rock Lee not realize that normal circumstances he would have turned in without a second thought? Before the samurai could ask him, the youthful shinobi disappeared in a tornado of leaves. Naruto looked around.

He shrugged and continued down the dirt road, his stomach growling.

"I need to hurry and find something to eat."

* * *

A short ways from the capital, the Shogun of Hinokuni and his escort party were traveling down a dirt road of their own.

Shogun Danzo peeled back the curtain of his norimono to speak to his chief adviser. "Fu, how much longer until we reach to the capital?"

Fu lowered his head to speak face to face with his Shogun. "We will reach Konoha before the afternoon arrives, Lord Shogun."

Danzo hummed to himself then let the curtain fall back. "Good. We need to prepare for the Brandishing Ceremony before nightfall. I can't wait another day."

"Understood, sir."

Danzo was in a rush. He always was, but now more than ever. The people were getting restless. Ever since his rise to shogun, Danzo had been going out of his way to solidify his rule. Even before he became shogun, he was already prepping for his future authority. So why were the citizens not falling in line? Why was he still getting odd looks whenever he left the shogunate?

_'It's must be because my cabinet is still incomplete,' _Danzo concluded. _'Yes, that's what it is. People can still see Hiruzen's footprints everywhere. Once I appoint my own Hodaiichi, the people will finally see me as the shogun, and not just as Hiruzen's replacement.'_

Danzo kept thinking over his plans. Then, one of the samurai guarding him stopped the norimono bearer in the front. Danzo peeked out.

"What's going on? Why are we stopping?" he agitatedly asked the samurai.

"...we've been surrounded, sir," he answered.

On cue, a group of man jumped out the forest and ambushed Danzo's escort party. All of them were obviously of the samurai class. Two of them covered the rear while three blocked the front. Of the three samurai Danzo had brought with him, two of them gripped their swords, ready to draw at a moment's notice. The other stood calmly, his rice hat obstructing his eyes.

"Danzo! Come out now, you traitor!" one of the men barked.

Danzo stared at the man. "...you are from the Sarutobi clan, I presume?"

"If you know who we are, then you also know why we're here," another man hissed from the rear.

Danzo looked at all the Sarutobi surrounding him. Then he huffed and ducked back inside.

"I have no time to deal with usurpers. I'm a very busy man right now," Danzo claimed from inside his norimono.

"The only usurper in Konoha is you! Now come die with what little shred of honor you still have!"

Danzo snorted. Honor was such an overrated prospect. While he lead Shinsengumi, honor was the last thing keeping the capital in order. While the Sarutobi paraded about, flaunting their honor at everyone who looked at them funny, Danzo was doing all the real work to keep the shogun and Konoha safe – forming spy networks, assassinating threats, blackmailing nobles, bribing officials, digging up dirt on both. Konoha would be nothing without his efforts, but these hot-headed fools didn't understand. Nobody did.

Nobody except Hiruzen Sarutobi, but he was already dead.

"...and you traitors can go join them. Sasuke... take care of them," Danzo commanded.

At his shogun's words, Sasuke stepped forward and removed his hat. His raven hair and black eyes cast an aura so subtly intimidating, the Sarutobi samurai all began to sweat.

Sasuke gripped his sword. "It will be done, Lord Danzo."

As he stepped forward, the other two guards went to the back of the norimono. They knew better than to get in Sasuke's way. They were afraid to get in his way.

The blades of the three samurai Sasuke was approaching shook. The person in front of them was just a boy, so why was every instinct they had telling them to run away?

Agitated by his body's cowardice, one of the Sarutobi samurai broke the silence with a battle cry. "The Sarutobi will have their revenge!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs while lunging at Sasuke. In an instance, Sasuke drew his sword then sheathed it again. Everything in-between was blur, but the attacking Sarutobi could have sworn he saw a crescent streak flash in front of him.

The front of his hakama along with his chest gashed open. His blood splattered in front of him, and the samurai fell at Sasuke's feet. Sasuke walked over the body like it was fallen branch in the road. He kept his right hand on his hilt and his left under the guard. The samurai in front of him backed away in fear. They had never seen such fast swordsmanship. They didn't even catch a glimpse of the blade.

They were shaken, but they still had their honor as warriors. They both circled Sasuke and attacked him at once. They thought he wouldn't be able to defend both of their attacks at once. They were right, but Sasuke never planned to in first place. In an interval of two seconds, Sasuke drew and sheathe his swords two times. Two men were slashed and fell near feet.

The remaining Sarutobi samurai still standing at the rear of the escort party watched in dismay. There was rumor going around the capital. A rumor that the new shogun had already found a samurai worthy of being appointed the Hodaiichi. The Sarutobi clansmen knew that samurai was currently walking towards them. They should have ran. There was no chance of them winning, but the spirit of the former shogun and former clan head still blazed in their sunken hearts.

They charged at Sasuke with their heads held high. After Sasuke drew his sword, they heads got a little bit higher.

Sasuke cast the blood from his blade with a single stroke and sheathed it one final time. The breeze casting up his hair reminded him to fetch his hat. The guardsmen who had done nothing but watch the slaughter avoided eye contact. The Uchiha clan was the strongest in the capital, but even by those standards, Sasuke was a monster – a samurai who would soon carve his name in legend. Though, Danzo wasn't surprised. The one eye he still had left could always spot talent.

"We've been delayed for far too long, Fu. We need to get a move on," he ordered.

Fu nodded and gestured at the norimono bearers to pick Danzo up and start moving. After just ten paces, a rustling was heard from the foliage and another person jumped out of the forest. He too was of the Sarutobi, but unlike his deceased clansmen, he was still a child. Probably not even thirteen, Fu predicted. He wasn't even of marriageable age yet.

The boy pointed his sword at the men in front of him, though he seemed more afraid of it than they were.

"Y-you... I won't let you pass!"

Danzo sighed heavily when he heard the familiar voice. "Even Hiruzen's grandson wants to stand in my way."

"T-that's right! My name is Konohamaru Sarutobi! I carry both the will of the Sarutobi and the capital that I was named after! I'll avenge my fallen clansmen **and **my grandfather!"

The fight had not even begun, but Konohamaru was already breathing heavy. The two guards stepped forward and drew their swords. They were hesitant when facing grown men, but a child was of no threat to them.

Before they reached the boy, Sasuke passed in front of them. He stopped in front of Konohamaru, his black eyes glaring holes into the boy.

Konohamaru forced a confidant smile onto his face. "...s-so you want die first, huh?"

Sasuke didn't say a word, neither did he draw his sword. He didn't even remove his hat. He just beamed down at Konohamaru with his cold, dark eyes. Those eyes told the young Sarutobi many things:

He was going to die.

He would not kill Danzo.

He would not avenge his clansmen.

He was nothing.

Konohamaru wanted to retort, wanted to say something, anything, but the eyes commanded that he keep his mouth shut. To try to escape the eyes, he shut his own and looked away from Sasuke. When he opened them, he saw the lifeless face of what used to be his second cousin; eyes rolled to his back of his head, blood leaking from his mouth and a fly already buzzing around his eye.

That was his limit. He dropped his sword, fell to his knees and vomited before Sasuke's feet. Once Konohamaru started purging his bowels, Sasuke returned to Danzo's side.

"Fu, can we start moving again?" the shogun asked.

Fu watched the pathetic boy heaving in the middle of the road for a little bit longer before saying "Yes, sir."

The norimono bearers, Fu, Sasuke and the samurai guards all walked around Konohamaru without sparing a second glance. He had stopped vomiting, but he still stayed on his knees. At the very least, he managed to hold in his sobs until Danzo and his subordinates were out of earshot.

* * *

Naruto's mother once told him that one day he would come to a fork in his life. He didn't think she was being literal though.

One path to the left. One path to the right. No roadsigns.

"Well, isn't this is just great..." Naruto grumbled while scratching his head.

In the middle of the forked path was a shrine,so tiny Naruto could have tucked it under arm and took it with him. He bent down to see if it had any clues about which way should go. It didn't. He sighed. He could have asked Rock Lee for help, but Naruto was hoping that if he didn't acknowledge Lee's invisible presence, he would eventually disappear for good. Not likely, but Naruto was dreamer.

"Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do..." Naruto dug into his sleeve and pulled out a copper coin.

It was the only money he had left. How ironic that something so insignificant would decide his future.

Naruto prayed to the nonexistent God of Copper Coins and flipped his into the air. Heads would take him left and tails would take him right. He bit his lip while he watched the coin spin. It finally came down, bringing Naruto's fate with it, and right before it hit the dirt road, a thin pink tether grabbed it and reeled it in.

Naruto looked. The tether turned out to be the tongue of a yellow toad, who standing on top of the shrine in the middle of the forked road. It swallowed the coin as soon as it got it in its mouth. Then it made a face.

"That wasn't a fly..." it said thoughtlessly.

Having literally watched his future be devoured, Naruto snatched the toad off the shrine, and squeezed it like toy.

"That was all of the money I had you damn frog!"

It gagged. "I... I'm actually a toad..."

"You think I care? Cough. It. Up!"

"I can't just... throw up on... demand like that."

Naruto stopped squeezing the toad, and sighed.

"Fine. You don't have to throw anything up then."

The toad's face shone with relief. "Really?"

"Yeah..." Naruto withdrew his kaiken. "I'll just slice you open and take it back myself!"

The toad screamed bloody murder while Naruto prepared to dissect it. Right when the tip of his kaiken poked the toad's belly, Lee appeared and grabbed Naruto's hand.

"Wait a minute, Naruto! To harm innocent animals is something only a villain would do!"

"He's not innocent. He's a thief, and where I come from, thieves get gutted."

"Naruto, surely there's a better way than just cutting this frog open."

"...I'm still a toad."

Naruto glared at the frightened toad. Then he growled, and hid his kaiken in his sleeve again.

"Fine. That coin probably would have only bought me a rice ball anyway," he said in a defeated tone. He peered back at the road. "I guess I'll go just left. That's what you're supposed to do when you don't know where to go, right?"

"...wait. Are you lost?" the toad asked.

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I can tell you where to go."

Naruto glanced back his brows raised. "Are you serious?"

The toad stood and nodded. "Keep going left and you'll be walking though more forest for a couple days, and eventually hit the sea. But if you go right, you'll arrive at Konoha, the capital of Hinokuni."

Lee scratched his cheek. "Mister toad-frog, how do you know all of this?"

"Well, a bunch of people have been coming though his area lately. They're going to the capital to watch this thing called the Brandishing Ceremony."

"Brandishing Ceremony...? Oh! Naruto, the Brandishing Cere-"

Naruto, once again left mid-conversation. He started down the left road.

"Naruto, where are you going? The capital is that way," Lee said while pointing down the right path.

"Yeah, I know. That's why I'm heading left," Naruto said while looking over his shoulder. "I'm a wanted man now, in case you forgot. Now way in hell I'm going to a place with that many people."

"But you'll miss the Brandishing Ceremony!"

Naruto shrugged and kept moving. Lee sighed and followed after him. The toad, not knowing what to do, hopped after the two.

"Hey. Lee is your name right?" he asked the green shinobi. "Do you know what the Brandishing Ceremony is?"

Lee nodded. "It is one of the most important events the shogunate can hold. Its a ceremony where the current shogun appoints his Hodaiichi – the samurai who will serve as the shogun's chief guardian and right hand man. Only the greatest samurai in the land earn this honor."

Naruto snorted. He bet all the samurai who took that position were losers who could only hold a sword when a training dummy was standing in front of them.

"Is a Hodaiichi really that great?" the toad asked.

"Yes, and they all receive a title mirroring their glory when they're appointed. There have been many great Hodaiichi, but in my opinion, the greatest was the fourth."

"The fourth?"

"Yes. His name was Minato Namikaze the Yellow Flash."

Naruto stopped. He look he had gave Lee was so overtaking, the latter shifted back a little. Then he looked at the toad.

"Hey, toad-frog dude, when is this brandish thing in the capital gonna start?"

"Uh... my name Gamatatsu, and I think its happening tonight."

Naruto looked at the sky. It was going to be noon soon. He gripped one of his katana.

"Alright! New plan – we're heading to capital to watch this Brandish Thingy!"

"Brandishing Ceremony," Lee corrected.

"Whatever. Come on, let's go," Naruto said while headed back down the left road.

Lee disappeared in whirlwind of leaves and followed him from the shadows. Gamatatsu hopped Naruto's shoulder.

"I want to go see it too!" he said exclaimed.

Naruto made a annoyed sound, but still let the anxious toad ride his shoulder. As long as he got to Konoha, he didn't care. He wasn't going to let anything get between him and the Brandishing Ceremony now; not even a bounty. Naruto was going to find out what a Hodaiichi was. Maybe then he would find out why his father was called the Traitor of the Nation.


	2. The Brandishing Ceremony

**Chapter II - The Brandishing Ceremony**

* * *

Like the audience at a coliseum watching gladiators, several children stood around in a circle and cheered on the young warriors in the center. Two dark haired boys swung their wooden swords without any sharpness, bloodlust or malice. All they had was fervor.

They didn't know what a true battle entailed. To them, _slaying your enemies_ was completely different from _murder._ That was their naivete; and in Shisui Uchiha's opinion, it was better if it stayed that way.

After taking a heavy swing, one boy was thrown on his rear.

"We have a winner!" Shisui announced from a bench on the side of the street.

The victorious boy held up his sword and a bonus two fingers, while the other kids huddled up to him. The defeated Uchiha pouted and stayed on the ground, prodding at the dirt road with his sword.

"It's just a play fight. Don't get beat up over it," Shisui said.

The boy huffed and looked away. "An Uchiha should never lose. Not even against another Uchiha. A loser is just a disgrace to our clan..."

"That's... kinda extreme. Even the strongest samurai of our clan, Madara, lost a few fights during his rival days with the first shogun, Hashirama."

The boy continued to sulk. "I bet Sasuke never lost a fight..."

Shisui laughed. "Are you kidding me?! Sasuke was a complete loser when he was little! In fact, he started losing so much, me and his brother started this game where-"

"What unnecessary things are saying this time, Shisui?" a voice from behind the boy asked.

The boy looked back to see who's shadow he had been caught in. A young man with hair and eyes just as dark as his was looming over him.

"Sasuke!" the boy yelled.

At the sound of the name, the other kids all looked back. After catching a glimpse of the Uchiha clan's latest golden boy, they all flocked to him like baby chicks to a hen.

"It's Sasuke!" one of children exclaimed while grabbing hold of his waist.

Before he knew it, Sasuke was weighed down by little, overeager Uchihas. He tried moving, but they had him rooted down. He wondered if asking one of their nonsensical questions would make them let go. He heard snickering, and looked Shisui's way. At least someone was having a good time.

"Shisui... do you mind?" Sasuke asked.

"What? The future Seventh Hodaiichi can guard the shogun, but he can't handle a few kids?"

Sasuke gave him a look, and Shisui shrugged. "Hey, you guys! Big Brother Sasuke's a little busy, right now, so he'll have to play with you all later."

Many "Aww...'s" and "That's not fair...'s" bounced around while Sasuke was freed from his adolescent prison. The kids quickly regained their energy, though, and went to find somewhere else to play.

"So, how did escorting the shogun go?" Shisui asked while he and Sasuke walked through the Uchiha's district together.

"It went fine. We met a small ambush party before making it to the capital, but aside from that, everything went smoothly."

Shisui's brow heightened. "You guys got ambushed?! By who?"

"The Sarutobi clan. It was about something involving the previous shogun. It seems the Sarutobi actually believe that rumor about Lord Danzo's involvement in the third shogun's death."

"Either that... or the rumor was true."

"Either way, they've pretty much sealed their clan's extinction now. Lord Danzo isn't the type to let something like this slide."

Shisui sighed. He knew Sasuke was right. Danzo never liked to leave loose ends, and the Sarutobi clan wanting him dead was as loose as an end could get. Them failing in their assassination attempt signed their own death warrant. By tomorrow morning, the Sarutobi clan's district would no longer exist.

Shisui sighed. "Well... guess there's nothing anyone can do about it now. So let's focus on the positive. Like your Brandish Ceremony tonight! You know everybody in the clan is gonna be there right?"

Sasuke grunted as Shisui shook his shoulder. "So they are..."

* * *

Konohamaru couldn't hear anything but his own heartbeat. His frenzied panting, the thundering pounds of his footsteps, the grouses of people he was bumping into in the street – all of it registered as empty noise. The only sense that was still operative was his sight, and the only thing it saw was the smoke pluming from his clan's district. He had to be seeing things. It was still daytime, after all; noon, at least. The shogun wouldn't dare disrupt the Brandishing Ceremony by trying to exterminate the Sarutobi only a few hours before. The seniors of the Sarutobi clan said this themselves.

They were wrong. When Konohamaru finally reached the district, he found that they were very wrong. Everything was burning. The houses that Konohamaru used to play in front of, the home his cousins stayed in; all of it was being devoured by flame. A crowd had gathered in front of the district. Some wore woeful expressions, but most were just tragedy seekers, trying to witness the disaster unfold so they could have an interesting story to tell later. Konohamaru squeezed through them while trying to get closer.

He eventually got close enough that he could see two men standing in front of the district. They were of the samurai police. Fresh bodies were laying behind them. Their cut up clothing depicted the Sarutobi clan's crest on them. Konohamaru felt the same pit of hopelessness he did in the forest.

One of the samurai held out a scroll, and began reading off it. "The Sarutobi clan has been found guilty of treason against the Shogunate! This morning a small ambush party composed of Sarutobi clan members attempted to take the shogun's life! It has been concluded that all of the Sarutobi were involved in this planning of this attack!"

Konohamaru gritted his teeth while tears welled up in his eyes. _'That's not true... Only a few members of the clan even knew about the ambush...'_

"Also... evidence has been found that incriminates the Sarutobi involving themselves with Minato Namikaze, the Traitor of the Nation!"

Veins bulged off of Konohamaru's fist as he clenched them. _'That's not true! The only people who knew the Fourth Hodaiichi were Grandpa and uncle Asuma! These bastards... They're spreading lies!'_

"For these grave crimes, the Shogunate has sentenced all of the Sarutobi to death! Also, any of their retainers are not allowed to attend tonight's Brandishing Ceremony! If they are caught breaking this rule, they will be charged with an indefinite prison sentence!"

The samurai police rolled up the scroll, having concluded his decree. Konohamaru stayed hidden in the crowd, tears running down his face. He wanted to jump out and strangle that man, but he knew he would just be cut down. He wanted to try to extinguish the fires, but he knew any effort would be pointless. He wanted to scream, but he knew he would just be caught, jailed and then executed along with the rest of his clan.

So Konohamaru bit his lip until it started to bleed and walked away. This was the smart thing to do. This is what his grandfather would have encouraged him to do.

Konohamaru stopped. "But that's not what my clansmen deserve..."

He shoved his way through the crowd, drew his sword, rushed the samurai who had read the decree and slashed at him with every ounce of rage blistering inside of him. The surprised samurai held up the scroll to protect himself, but Konohamaru sliced through it cleanly, just as he did the samurai's hakama. With blood spluttering from his chest, the samurai fell with a now bloodied scroll still tight in his grasp.

Konohamaru looked at the body. Then he looked at his sword. He had just killed a man. His hands trembled as the realization hit him. He had the urge to vomit again, but the other samurai had already drawn his katana. The young Sarutobi's reflexes reacted before his mind did, and he managed to parry the first stroke. His sword danced off his opponent's gracefully before gliding down its blade and slicing the man's hip.

"Y-you little shit...!" the man spat while holding his bleeding side.

Konohamaru cursed himself. He had cut too shallow. He looked at his injured adversary. He could have finished him then and there if he wanted, but he heard the shrieks of terror coming from the crowd. Konohamaru had forgotten that an audience was present.

_'...what am I doing? ...I've got to run!'_

Without sheathing his blade, Konohamaru ran in the opposite direction of the crowd, straight into the burning Sarutobi district. It seemed dangerous, but to Konohamaru it was the best route possible. The roars of the flames drowned out the crowd's screams and the samurai's yells. For once, something was louder than his heart.

* * *

"What do you mean, I gotta pay to attend the Brandishing Ceremony?!" the Orange Flash exclaimed so loudly, passerby paused for a moment before continuing on their way.

The lazy-looking guard in front of the large temple yawned. "Sorry kid, but that's the rule. You're free to watch the ceremony from the outer grounds, but if you want to watch from near the steps, you're gonna need to pay up."

Naruto folded his lip. "How much?"

"Thirty ryo."

"Thirty ryo?! You mean 'per person?!'"

"What? You got a date you wanna take or somethin'?"

The other guard grinned. "That's not a good idea kid. The guy who's being brandished Hodaiichi tonight – he's a real lady killer in the looks department. Whoever you're bringing might just become a fan, and turn her nose up at you."

Naruto scowled. That was the umpteenth time somebody had told him something _remarkable _about the soon-to-be-appointed Hodaiichi. Before this, he had been told that the next Hodaiichi was a prodigy only seen once in a generation. After that he had been told that he was a member of the highly esteemed Uchiha clan, and was going to be the fourth of his clan to receive such an honor, and also that he was handpicked by the current shogun from a young age. This new Hodaiichi was basically a celebrity within the capital.

Naruto didn't even know the guy, and already hated his guts.

He snorted. "Whatever... Who cares about the Brandishing Ceremony if a guy like that is being made Hodaiichi?"

The lazy-looking guard scratched his chin. "Hey... haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

The other guard cocked his head. "Y'know what, I think I recognize him too... Hey, kid. What's your name?"

Sweat started running down Naruto's forehead. "It's uh... N-n... Nice ass on that lady over there! Man, is she even wearing anything under that kimono?"

The aroused guards peered in the direction Naruto was looking. They saw an elderly woman watering flowers in front of the temple grounds. They squinted and looked back at Naruto. He, of course, had vanished.

He rested in an alley, breathing heavy on his knees. "Whoo~ Really gotta be careful from now on... Now, how I'm gonna earn enough to get into Brandishing Ceremony?"

Naruto felt something wriggling around his chest, then Gamatatsu poked his head out. "But Naruto, I thought you didn't want to go to the ceremony?"

"Are you kidding me? I wanna see that elitist jerk's face from as close up as possible. ...but first I need some money. Oi! Bushy Brows! You got any money?"

Lee appeared from one the shadows behind Naruto, making him jump.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. The only thing I have on my person is this scarf, my jumpsuit and all of my youth."

"And that's all equally worthless..."

Naruto sighed while ignoring Lee's depressed face. He walked out the alley and started strolling through Konoha's street. Lucky for him, it was dark and the streets weren't too busy at the moment. Though, they would be soon when the Brandishing Ceremony began.

He looked at the moon, or at least attempted to. It was partially obstructed by some obnoxiously tall building in the distance. It was the tallest in the capital by far, more so even than the castles that loomed in the distance. It was Rashōmon Castle – the headquarters of the shogun and shogunate. Naruto glared at the castle. Currently in it were the men who sentenced his father to death and branded him a traitor. He was still fuzzy on the details, but his malice was as clear as Spring air.

He spat on the ground, and kept walking. "Maybe I should just try gambling or something... Oomph!"

Naruto was nearly knocked off his feet when somebody collided with him. The other person had fallen to his rear, and Naruto loomed over the boy ready to bark at him to watch where was going. Then he saw the sweat on the boy's face, and after that, the blood on his sword.

"Hey now... What's going on here?" Naruto asked with a hand on his chin.

The boy looked at Naruto nervously. Then looked back and saw four men wearing samurai police uniforms come around the corner.

The boy cringed. "...damn..."

He got up and ran around Naruto to get away, but the samurai easily caught up to the fatigued youth. One of them pinned him down while the another grabbed his sword. The last two floated overhead, glaring holes into the boy. Naruto watched the scene curiously.

"So... this brat is the only one left?" one of the samurai asked.

Another samurai mushed the boy's head into the ground. "Yep. His execution means the end of the Sarutobi clan. Kinda of shame. They were a proud house, and third shogun was a decent guy." He yanked the boy up by his hair. "...but traitor's don't get a pardons..."

"And neither do murders. This brat killed Daisuke! I say, we give him his execution ahead of time."

"Wouldn't they be breaking from Bushido?" one of the standing samurai asked, hand on his sword despite his words.

"The brat's got a bloody sword. Just say he attacked us," the last samurai advised. "We had to defend ourselves."

The samurai smiled and quickly took up the suggestion. He drew his sword, put one hand on the kashira and held the point of the blade above the boy's head. The youth's eyes trembled.

"Have fun meeting the rest of your clan, brat..."

"**Secret Technique: Toad Shuriken!**"

The samurai squinted and looked up just in time to see a yellow toad crashing into his face. He fumbled backwards holding his nose, while the toad hit the ground and bounced back to where he was thrown.

"Naruto, don't just throw me like that all the sudden! I saw my life flashing before my eyes!" Gamatatsu cried.

"Stop whining. It's not like you got hurt, or anything," Naruto said while rotating his throwing arm.

The samurai police thew glares instead of toads. "Son of a bitch! Do you know how years in prison you just earned?"

"Hey~ I guess I'm pretty lucky if you'll actually give me a prison sentence instead of killing me on the spot."

Three of the samurai, including the now red nosed one, stepped forward with their blades drawn. Naruto put his hand on one of his.

"Draw either of those swords and you'll have signed your own death sentence..."

Naruto grinned. "So its fine so long as I don't draw my sword?" Naruto pulled out one of his swords, sheathe and all, and held it at its scabbard. "Good to know."

The samurai with the red nose growled and tore after Naruto with two of his partners behind him. Naruto twirled his sheathed sword. He ducked the first slash, and a sharp "swish" went over his head, taking a few blond hairs with it. The other samurai joined in, slashing and hacking at Naruto. They did more damage to the air than they did to him.

The blonde samurai jumped off a wall to evade a samurai's stroke, and flipped over the attacker's head. Upon landing, he struck the back of his knee, his hip and his cranium in quick succession. The victim's eyes rolled to the back of his head as he collapsed against the wall.

Naruto smirked. When another samurai thrust for his neck, the wanted ronin weaved out the way and caught the blade inside his sword's tsuba; both shocking and confusing his attacker.

The attacker was even more confused when, upon noticing the red nosed Samurai coming at him from behind, Naruto swung his sword, and like a sling, pelted the still caught sword at him. The samurai ducked in time, but caught the tip of Naruto's foot in his jaw as a result.

The orange samurai looked at the third samurai police. Now weaponless, the man put up his hands and inched off into the dark street. Once enough distance was made, he bolted. Naruto looked at the last samurai. He was holding up the boy, his sword pressed against his neck.

"Make another move, and I'll slit the boy's throat! Don't think I won't!" he cried.

Naruto didn't even fake looking worried. He leisurely strolled over the samurai, twirling his sheathed sword all the while.

"D-dammit! I swear I kill-"

A powerful strike hit the back of the samurai's head, and he dropped like a log.

"Taking children hostage is something even the world's greatest cowards would look down on!" Rock Lee declared to the unconscious samurai.

"Nice assist, Lee. I guess you're good for something after all."

Lee gave Naruto a thumbs up, and his teeth glinted. Apparently, he didn't know what a "backhanded compliment" was. The boy looked at the two in awe.

"You alright?" Naruto asked.

"Oh, uh... Yeah," the boy sputtered.

"It's a good thing we were around. The police around here seem pretty ruthless," Naruto said while putting back his sword. "So who the heck are you, anyway?"

"...Konohamaru Sarutobi."

"Woah... You're name after the capital? What a cool name."

"More like 'cursed' name. The new shogun stated that all Sarutobi be wiped out for trying to assassinate the shogun. ...I'm all that's left."

Lee made a shocked face. "C-can the shogun do that?!"

"With enough support from the shogunate, he can do anything he wants."

Lee gripped his bandaged fist, while Naruto punched his into his hand.

"The shogunate... The more I hear about those bastards, the more I wanna tear them apart!" Naruto exclaimed.

He fumed for a few more seconds, then took a deep breathe. "Anyway... we have to go. Try to stay low, okay Konohamaru?"

As Naruto and Lee sauntered off, Gamatatsu hopped onto the former's shoulder.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Konohamaru called out.

"Away from the city, obviously. I'm a wanted man. ...a wanted man who just beat up four members of the samurai police, to be exact. If I don't bail out of the capital quick, there are gonna samurai all over my ass. So see ya."

Naruto started walking again.

"Hold on. Maybe I can help you," Konohamaru said.

Naruto looked back with a his brow raised. "_You_ can help _me? _How?"

"When I was little, I used to explore the city all the time with my friends Moegi and Udon. We found lots of secret routes that can get you in and out of places, and even the capital itself, without anyone noticing. I was heading to one of those places when I ran into you."

Naruto's face lit up. "Alright! Tonight, Naruto Uzumaki's luck might finally be turning arou— ...wait. You said you know lots of secret routes that can get you in out of of places, right?"

Konohamaru nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Naruto grinned. His luck really was turning around.

* * *

Danzo patiently watched his reflection as the attendants finished setting his ikan. When his hat was finally set in place, they stepped back.

"Very good. You may go," Danzo said.

The attendants bowed and showed themselves out. Danzo continued staring at his reflection. It was finally time. Tonight at this temple, Danzo would take the last step out of Hiruzen Sarutobi's shadow. Now that his clan was also exterminated, there was nothing left to obstruct his path.

Danzo heard footsteps behind him. "What is it, Fu?"

"It's time for the ceremony to begin, Lord Danzo."

Danzo hummed and allowed Fu to escort him. _'Tonight... will be the beginning.'_

* * *

The female attendants blushed as they helped Sasuke dress.

"Uh... Lord Sasuke, wouldn't it be better to have male attendants?" one of the girls asked, her cheeks burning.

"It's too late to worry about that now. The ceremony is about to begin," Sasuke said.

The girl nodded quickly and continued with her work. When she and the other attendant were done, Sasuke took a look at himself in the mirror. A black and blue montsuki with his clan's symbol on either side of his chest was what he wore. The women thought he looked marvelous in it, judging by their reactions, but Sasuke was merely complacent.

"Lord Sasuke, it's time," another attendant from outside said.

Sasuke nodded to her. _'Tonight.. I will fulfill my destiny.'_

* * *

The time for the Brandishing Ceremony had finally come. People from all over the capital were flooding toward the Hojo Temple, and guards had been placed at every entrance and patrolled around the temple every hour to keep people from trespassing.

However, there was still one way to sneak onto the temple grounds unnoticed. At one corner of the temple grounds existed a pair of trees called 'the Kissing Sakuras.' One sakura tree existed inside the temple's gates. The other existed outside. They were the only sakuras that grew around the temple, and by some strange coincidence, both these trees had grown to similar heights and their branches had touched and weaved around each other. They were now conjoined.

Under the cover of the blooming cherry blossoms, Naruto and Konohamaru shimmied over the gate across the conjoined branches. Konohamaru got a little nervous when a patrolling guard stopped underneath them, but Naruto reassured him and told him to hurry. The two made it across the gate and raced across the temple's rear grounds before any guards could spot them.

"Yes! We made it!" Naruto exclaimed when they finally met up with the crowd at the front of the temple. "You really know your way around, Konohamaru."

Konohamaru was still trying to catch his breath. "Y-yeah... Thanks."

The crowd stopped in front of steps so tall, one would have to back up a few feet to see the top.

"The Hodaiichi has to walk all the way up there? Bet that's a pain," Naruto said while shading his eyes. "What do you think, Konoha...maru. ...are you alright?"

Konohamaru stared at the ground for a moment before answering "Yeah..."

Naruto was unconvinced, but he left it alone. Konohamaru had more than one reason to sneak onto the Hojo Temple grounds. Danzo was going to be here tonight, completely vulnerable.

Konohamaru gripped the hilt of his sword. _'Tonight... I'll get my revenge!' _

Naruto looked around the crowd. He spotted a peculiar group of people who all looked alike. Some of them had fans on the backs of their clothing. _'Are they the Uchihas? They look familiar for some reason...'_

Before Naruto could think of where he had seen them before, the chatter among the crowd immediately ceased. Everyone looked toward the top of the stairs. A finely dressed man with one eye covered appeared at the steps' peak. He raised one hand and all the people in attendance bowed. All except for Naruto who was confused about what was going on.

"_Hey, Naruto...! You've gotta get down..!_" Konohamaru exclaimed quietly.

Naruto whipped his head left and right like a dunce before bowing as well.

"You may stand," Danzo announced. The audience did. "Tonight will be a proud one for Konoha. For I will brandish the man who will go down as the greatest Hodaiichi in Hinokuni's history."

A myriad of cheers arose from the crowd, especially from the Uchiha side. Suddenly, squabbles started to come from the rear. Everyone looked back and saw guards splitting a path through the crowd. Behind them was another finely dressed man, though he was noticeably younger. His hair was dark. As was his eyes. He was definitely an Uchiha, which meant he was the soon-to-be brandished Hodaiichi.

The cheers returned in surplus. The women especially, were lauding over the youth as he passed them. Naruto snorted. Though, he made a face once he realized that Konohamaru was hiding behind him.

Naruto looked back. "Konohamaru...?"

"I can't let that guy see me..." Konohamaru said. "...I can't look into his eyes."

Naruto squinted. He looking for what was so dangerous about this man's eyes as he walked past. In that split second, both their eyes met. Time seemed to stand still. Noises faded out.

Then everything returned to how it was.

The guards stood at the foot of the steps as the Uchiha started to climb them. Naruto watched him carefully. He wondered if his father also had those eyes. Was that one of the reasons his mother never talked about him?

Naruto clenched his fist. _'Tonight... I'll find out the truth about the Hodaiichi.'_

"Wooh~ Sasuke!" one particularly loud Uchiha shouted.

He got in the last yell, for once Sasuke reached the shogun and got on one knee, silence once again returned to the Hojo Temple. A veiled woman from the temple walked up to Danzo with a red pillow in her hands which held a ceremonial katana. She kneeled, gifted the katana to her shogun, bowed, then returned to the temple with the pillow.

"Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha's long esteemed Uchiha clan... State your purpose," Danzo instructed.

"My purpose is to be the shogun's sword. My purpose is to be the shogunate's sheathe. My purpose is to be Hinokuni's hope. Should I fail in my purpose, should my blade ever break; I will plant what is left in the soil, and pray that my flame grows once more."

Danzo gestured for Sasuke to stand. He held out the katana. "This sword symbolizes loyalty. Take it, and then tell me who your enemy is."

Sasuke nodded. He took the katana with both hands. He stared at it. Its sheath was colored a gallant blue. It was a sword meant only for his hands. Sasuke gripped the hilt.

"Yes, Lord Danzo. I, Sasuke Uchiha, only have one enemy in this world... and that's you."

Danzo's brow heightened. After Sasuke drew his newly gifted sword, the shogun's brow wasn't the only thing that was high.

It flew into the sky then hit the top of the steps with a **thud**. From there it rolled. It hit each individual step on its way, finally hitting the ground and rolling to a stop at some poor woman's feet. She stared blankly at the shogun's head before letting out a scream that sent everyone around her running for the exit.

Naruto and Konohamaru stayed where they were, as did the loud Uchiha. He stared wide-eyed at Sasuke who looked back down at the panicked crowd, Danzo's blood splattered across his face.

That night, a Seventh Hodaiichi was not brandished.


	3. Orange Flash & Crimson Eyes

**Chapter III - Orange Flash &amp; Crimson Eyes**

* * *

The audience of the Brandishing Ceremony piled out of the temple grounds like a startled stampede in the jungle. Why they ran was obvious – the shogun's head laid at the foot of the temple's steps.

While the crowd ran away in a frenzy, every guard on duty rushed to the front of the temple to see where all the chaos was erupting from.

Only three people stayed inside the temple grounds: the confused Naruto, the bewildered Konohamaru, and the appalled Shisui.

The latter peered up at Sasuke who lashed Danzo's blood off his newly gifted sword with a single stroke, and used the shogun's robe to wipe his face clean. He looked down at the temple grounds in time to see Fu entering alongside the rest of the guards. When he saw Danzo's head, grief struck the adviser's face, followed by boiling rage.

"What are you fools doing?! Seize him!" Fu dictated. "Don't let Sasuke Uchiha escape!"

The guards rushed the steps in pursuit of the shogun-slayer. Sasuke sized the men up with one look, then sheathed his sword. Pacifying them all without any blood spill would be impossible, even for him. He stepped over Danzo's beheaded corpse and ran away into the temple, over ten guards hot on his tail.

"Sasuke! Wait!" Shisui cried while trying to head up the stairs. Three guards remained and took the role of blockades. "Get out of my way! I have to reach Sasuke!"

Shisui pathetically tried to squirm his way through. Meanwhile, Naruto was inching away from the scene.

He put a hand on his young companion's shoulder. "Konohamaru, we need to get out of here. ...Konohamaru?"

Konohamaru kept his feet rooted where they were. Only a few feet away, staring blankly at him, was Danzo Shimura's head. How pathetic his expression was. He had no idea what was going to take place tonight, and now he was nothing but a memory. A memory that Konohamaru couldn't touch. He had come here dead-set on assassinating the shogun, but Sasuke Uchiha had beat him to the punch.

His clan, his grandfather – there was no way for the youth to avenge any of them now.

His hands trembled. "...w-what am I supposed to now? Grandpa's life, everyone's life: they all mean nothing now...!"

Fu's thoughts were still hectic when he finally noticed a familiar face sulking on the other side of the temple grounds. Several ideas hit him at that moment, but the most boisterous was: _Hiruzen Sarutobi's grandson must be working with Sasuke Uchiha._

He called out to the guards in front of the steps. "Over there is member of the traitorous Sarutobi clan! Capture him as well!"

While two guards pinned Shisui down, the other one went after Naruto and Konohamaru. Finally understanding his situation, the survivor of the Sarutobi clan went to draw his sword. Naruto held him back and shouted "Lee!"

A whirlwind of leaves kicked up in-between them and the guard. A ninja, oddly dressed in green, appeared and knocked the guard away with a single gust invoking kick.

"Hmph!" Rock Lee took a fighting stance. "I have has arrived!"

Naruto dug Gamatatsu out of his kimono, and handed him over to Konohamaru.

"Lee, look after Konohamaru for me," he said while running toward the stairs.

"Naruto! Where are you going?" a confused Konohamaru asked.

Naruto grinned. "Didn't I say I was gonna find out what a Hodaiichi was?"

One of the guards who was pinning down Shisui hurried up the stairs after Naruto, but the blonde kicked him square in the nose and sent him tumbling down like the shogun's head. Naruto kept his grip steady on his swords while he ran inside of the temple.

* * *

The search for Sasuke had gotten intense inside the temple. Every room was checked and every exit was sealed. The search had come up fruitless, however. Two disappointed guards took their search to a spacious room that contained a large statue of the Indra, the God of Rain.

"Seriously, where did that son of a bitch disappear to?" one of the guards asked.

"Did you check the shogun's dressing room?" asked the second guard.

"Yeah, and his own dressing room before that." The first guard leaned against a wide pillar. "Maybe he already escaped."

"No way. There's only two ways out of this temple, and we've got guards posted at both of them."

"Yeah... about that... What exactly are those guards supposed to do if Sasuke Uchiha decides to just run them through? He _was _supposed to be the Hodaiichi. Can foot soldiers like us even touch that kid?"

The second guard made an uncomfortable noise. "...hey, why do you think that brat killed the shogun?"

"Is him being a son of a bitch not enough of a reason?"

"Well, you know..." The second guard looked down. "It just doesn't make sense for him to play 'good boy' for Danzo as long as he did just to kill him during his own Brandishing Ceremony. Maybe..."

The second guard heard a grunt, followed by a thud and looked back up. The shogun-slayer was standing over his partner, his sheathed sword in his grip. While trying to lower his sasumata, the pummel of Sasuke's katana smashed against his jaw, and the guard hit the floor unconscious, just like his partner.

Sasuke's thoughts began to ramble. _'So both the exits are blocked...Getting through without killing one or two guys is going to be tough. Maybe there's another route I can take...?'_

Sasuke looked around the room for the brief moment. He eyes eventually rested upon the large statue of Indra. The Rain God's eyes were forever fierce, shooting a damning glare at all who prayed before him. Sasuke withstood the glare with ease. He recalled a pair of eyes that were much more intimidating than Indra's.

Sasuke heard a **caw**. He looked towards the corner and saw a crow skipping about the room, a dead mouse in its beak. It flew to the top of Indra's head. It looked at Sasuke once before cawing again and flying straight up.

_'It didn't hit anything. Does that mean there's opening above Indra's head?' _

Sasuke walked up to the statue of Indra for a closer look. When he saw the broken ceiling panel, he started climbing into Indra's lap.

* * *

Sasuke had crawled through the ceiling until he eventually found a way onto the roof. The night breeze was a pleasant contrast to the humidity of the temple. It was especially wide. So wide that it would be impossible for anyone to see Sasuke so long as he stayed away from the edges.

Slipping down from the roof and jumping the gate was all that stood between him and escaping the capital now.

As started approaching the ledge, a boisterous "I finally caught up to you!" came from behind him.

Sasuke looked back. Climbing onto the roof through the same hole Sasuke had used was an spikey-haired blonde in an orange kimono.

"I came into that room in time to see you disappear into the ceiling," the noisy samurai said while trying to get his bottom of his kimono free. "Talk about a lucky break!"

_'This guy... he was at the Brandishing Ceremony,'_ Sasuke thought while watching him.

After dusting cobwebs out of his hair, the blonde stared intently at Sasuke. While he didn't share the blonde's passion, Sasuke shared his gaze. The staring contest was in its own right a battle; one that neither samurai backed down from.

"So you were considered good enough to become the Hodaiichi, huh?" the blonde asked.

"And what's it to you?"

"What's it to me...?" The blonde hummed. "I've kinda been wondering that myself. I only found out what a Hodaiichi was this morning. I guess... because my old man was one, I've suddenly become obsessed with the whole thing."

"Your father was the Hodaiichi?" Sasuke lowered his brows. He looked at the man before him with a keen eye, then he gave a grasping "Ah..."

The breeze rustled Sasuke's hair. "Yeah... I remember a guy who was Hodaiichi, and he looked a lot like you. He was even blonde."

The blonde gave a surprised look. "You knew my old man?!"

"By the time I was old enough to _know _your dad, he had already been rotting in a prison cell for four years. I do remember going to his execution though. My older brother took me. He told me it was something I needed to hold to my memory. I still don't get the significance of that day. To me, it just like a traitor was getting what was coming to him."

The blonde took a threatening step forward. "I dare you to say that again...!"

"What? Your father getting executed, or him being a traitor?"

"My old man... My father isn't a traitor!"

"Hmph. You talk like you were there. It's not like I'm looking down on the Fourth Hodaiichi. After all, I just killed the shogun. I'm no better than he is."

"What a load of crap! My old man got sentenced to death because of the shitty shogunate who just wanted to flaunt their power! You; you're just a murderer. A guy like you doesn't deserve a title like Hodaiichi."

"Did you become the shogun all the sudden? It's now up to you who does and doesn't become the Hodaiichi now?"

"Ya damn straight it is!"

Sasuke raised a brow. Who was this oaf? He obviously wasn't a guard, yet he chased Sasuke all the way onto the roof of the temple. He didn't look like a member of any Hinokuni's prominent clans, yet he had more pride than anyone Sasuke had ever met. Whoever he was or wherever he came from, Sasuke understood one thing about this man: he was an idiot.

He showed the loud mouth his back. "I've got no time for you."

"Hold up! Take back what you said about my old man," the oaf demanded.

"And if I don't?"

Sasuke could the sound of a sword being unsheathed.

"Then I'll just have to make you..."

Sasuke smiled lightly. "Make me, huh? And just who are you supposed to be again?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, the Orange Flash of Uzushio. What about you, wise ass?"

"Sasuke Uchiha of Konoha's Uchiha clan. …well? You just going to stand there with that sword in your hand all night, or are you a coward on top of being the son of a traitor?"

Naruto gritted his teeth to the point that his canines were visible, and lunged after Sasuke. Sasuke put one hand on his hilt and another under the guard. When Naruto swung his blade at the Uchiha's neck, the sound of clashing steel was heard, and his sword ricocheted; sparks lighting up its steel.

Naruto hopped back a step, then sprung after Sasuke's shoulder this time. The same** clang **was followed by Naruto's sword bouncing back once again. Naruto growled in frustration then drew his second sword. He rushed Sasuke who still had his back turned and began hacking away.

Each strike, stroke, slice and slash got parried before Naruto's steel could even tickle Sasuke's flesh. The blonde samurai saw a glint out of the corner of his eye and quickly back-flipped away.

When Naruto felt his cheek, there was blood on his fingertips. _'...I get it now. This guy uses iaido. He unsheathes his sword, attacks, then resheathes it before I can even see it. Normal swordsmanship won't be enough to keep up with him.'_

Naruto licked the blood off his fingers. "I guess I'll have to use it..."

Naruto started taking irregular steps forward. It was if he was stepping back, stepping left and stepping right all while walking forward. After a while, Sasuke noticed that Naruto's footsteps had multiplied; as though there was a third person on the roof. He sensed Naruto's about to attack him again, and prepared to draw his sword. Then he realized the number of incoming katana had changed.

Instead of two, four blades rained down over Sasuke's back. Knowing better than to try and parry with his back turned, Sasuke rolled forward and faced Naruto finally.

"Hah! Finally got you to turn around!" Naruto boasted.

Sasuke gave a surprised look. A second Naruto was standing next to the first Naruto. He had the same blonde hair, the same whiskers, the same orange kimono, the same two katana in his grasp, and the same smirk on his face. After a moment, the figure began to flicker and eventually vanished like smoke.

Sasuke slowly stood. '_That technique he just used... it's called the __Shadow Shuffle. While walking forward, the user also takes a step in every direction. This creates an afterimage that becomes corporeal using the user's chi. Only members of the Shinsengumi are allowed to be taught that technique. How does somebody with no affiliation to the shogunate know how to use it?_"

"Looks like I underestimated him..." Sasuke muttered.

He didn't bother sheathing his sword this time. He just took a stance and glared at Naruto. Naruto returned his malice, and started taking irregular steps forward again. Not one, but two clones of Naruto appeared, and they along with the original rushed the patient Uchiha.

Sparks danced as a battle of seven swords ignited. Like a tiger fighting off a pack of wild dogs, Sasuke fended off Naruto and his clones' attacks with the precision one would expect from a Hodaiichi. With the way he parried each slash you would think his blade was weightless.

The trio of Narutos even attempted to surround him and attack from three different directions, but Sasuke's blade flickered around him. Not only did he parry every strike, he retorted with his own – a gash across the eyes for the first clone, a hack over the chest for the second, and a slash that the real Naruto barely managed to escape from.

The blonde's posture was poor. Between fighting Sasuke and using so much chi to create clones, he barely had the strength to stand up straight. His kimono was several cuts in it, and a cut Sasuke had left above his right eyebrow leaked and left him half blind.

Naruto breathed heavily. _'What the hell is this guy...? I've been fighting him with everything I've got and then some, and I still haven't left so much as a cut on him? ...is this the power of somebody who almost became Hodaiichi?'_

"What's wrong? Had enough already?" Sasuke asked. "If that's the case, I suggest you go home. Wouldn't want you ending up like your _old man._"

Naruto growled and squeezed the katanas in his hands. "Asshole! Just you wait! You haven't even seen anything yet!"

Naruto wobbled as he took another irregular step forward. This time, four clones appeared. Sasuke analyzed them.

_'Four? That's twice as many as last time. How can he use the Shadow Shuffle so much without passing out from exhaustion? This guy's stamina is inhuman... This fight will go on for forever at this rate._

"And I don't have that much time to spare..." Sasuke said while sheathing his sword.

"That iaido crap isn't going to work!" Naruto barked while he and his clones charged at Sasuke.

Sasuke took a stance, something he had never done while his sword was sheathed, and closed his eyes. "Let me show you the difference between you and me, Naruto."

As Naruto and his clones drew closer, Sasuke opened his eyes. Crimson – that was what Naruto saw in Sasuke's eyes; along with tomoes that spun around the iris. Naruto had seen those eyes before, and he knew what being on the opposing side of them meant.

A cackle of lighting ran down Sasuke's arm into his sword. "**Chikiru!**"

It was literally impossible for human eyes to see. A thousand slashes, each sounding like a bird's chirp, were made in under a second. If the the flurry of slashes wasn't what killed the clones, and streaks of lightning that followed would have. All of them flickered out of shape, leaving the real Naruto alone and, to Sasuke's surprise, alive.

Sasuke's eyes returned to normal. "I see... At the last moment, you backed off and used your clones as a shield so you wouldn't get hit by the the brunt of the technique. Clever."

Naruto had stabbed his swords into the roof to keep him from collapsing. He was terribly cut up and on the verge of passing out. Had he not reacted at the last moment, that would have surely been the end for him.

He glared at Sasuke again. "W-why do you... have those eyes too?"

"You mean the Sharingan? I'm surprised you've seen it before. Uchihas rarely leave the capital."

Naruto coughed up blood in the middle of asking another question. Then he heard noise coming behind him.

"They really were up here! Sasuke Uchiha and that blonde brat from before!" a guard poking his head out of the hole leading to the roof announced.

"Looks like we're out of time," Sasuke said while starting in the opposite direction.

"W-wait! I'm not done yet...!"

Sasuke looked at Naruto the same way he looked at Konohamaru and the crowd at the Brandishing Ceremony. Yet, despite being seriously injured, Naruto didn't quiver under Sasuke's glare.

"If you're lucky, we'll never cross paths again, because next time... you **will **die, Naruto."

With that, Sasuke ran to the edge of the roof and jumped over without looking down. Naruto didn't have to see to know he made it down safely. A guy like that wouldn't die here. The same didn't look like it could be said for him, however.

He looked back and saw the guard get closer to him, a sasumata in his grip. Suddenly, leaves hovered around him.

"**Leaf Hurricane!**" a familiar voice shouted.

The guard was gusted into the air, fell right on top of the hole, the second another guard tried to come out of it. A shinobi in green appeared in front of Naruto.

"...Lee?" Naruto said, before finally giving up on supporting his weight.

Lee caught him before he hit the roof, and hauled Naruto onto his back.

"What about Konohamaru...?" the faint samurai asked.

"He is fine. The same won't be said for you if we don't get out of here, Naruto," Lee said.

He grabbed both of Naruto's katana, sheathed them, then disappeared with the Orange Flash in a whirlwind of leaves.

* * *

It happened back when Naruto could still count his age on both hands. It was a Summer night, and despite being dark, the air was still humid. He had been practicing sword swings until the sun went down, just as his master had instructed him to. The amount of sweat underneath him could have put out a forest fire.

When it was time to go home, Naruto decided to take a more scenic route. The trip would take longer, but if he was lucky he could catch women from the village bathing in a hot spring near Uzushio. The anxious boy hurried to lay eyes on this prize. Then he noticed something. It was a smell in the air. A dank stench. He followed it, and was eventually lead to a corpse. He face contorted, and his eyes trembled. It was the first time he had seen dead body before.

Naruto had no idea what kept him from vomiting, nor did understand what convinced him to go deeper, despite his disgust. He found more and more bodies, and they gradually lead him to an outing. It was a party of corpses. Hacked-up bodies littered the ground everywhere Naruto looked, and in the center stood a lone figure holding a blood-soaked katana. Naruto couldn't make out the figure in the dark but, when the figure turned around, Naruto could see his eyes clearly. They were pure crimson.

* * *

Naruto eyes shot up. The first thing he noticed after waking up was Gamatatsu jumping up and down on his chest.

"You're awake! Oh, thank goodness! I was really worr-"

Naruto slapped Gamatatsu off of him and sat up. "Where am I?"

"An abandoned shrine on the outskirts of Konoha," Lee said.

Naruto at Lee. His legs were in the air while he did push-ups using only his index fingers.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Konohamaru assured me that no one would find us here. This shrine has been abandoned for a long time."

Naruto hummed. The dream he just had was an old memory, and he knew why it had resurfaced.

"I lost..." he muttered while looking at bandages wrapped around him. "Dammit...! Sasuke, just you wait. I'm gonna pay you back ten- no! One hundred fold!" Naruto looked around. "Lee, where's my swords? I need to start training."

Lee's round eyes lit up. "Training?! If it's training you need, I'd be more than happy to be your partner!" Lee pushed himself off the floor, and somersaulted in the air before landing. "Let us strive for new heights together, Naruto!"

Naruto stood. "Yeah! Next time I meet Sasuke, his ass is gonna be ash!"

"That's the spirit!"

Gamatatsu silently watched the samurai and ninja brim with enthusiasm. Then the shrine's door slid open. Konohamaru was standing in its frame.

He smiled. "Naruto, you're up. That's awesome. That means you can leave right away."

"Leave right away?" Naruto repeated.

Konohamaru nodded. "Get dressed and come outside."

* * *

After donning his slit up kimono, and fetching his blades, Naruto and Rock Lee went to meet Konohamaru outside. A carriage carrying nothing but hay was behind him.

"Ta-dah!" Konohamaru shouted.

"Uh... Konohamaru, what's with the hay?" Naruto asked.

"It's not the hay that's the surprise, its the carriage itself. You can get escape from the capital using this."

Naruto's eye widened. "Really? What about the driver. What if he takes us directly into the center of the capital."

The driver tipped up his rice hat, and peered down at Naruto. "I'm no fan of the shogunate, boy. In fact, the only time I thought it was tolerable was when Hiruzen Sarutobi was in charge. He did good by us farmers, unlike the shogunate that only make laws when they feel their pillows aren't soft enough, or they're running out of tea." He spit. "Consider this me repaying the old shogun for his kindness."

"And there you have it," Konohamaru said.

Lee nodded. "This is good news, Naruto. Since you can't hide in the shadows like I can, I was worried how you would escape the capital, but now-"

"And how are you gonna get away, Konohamaru?" Naruto asked.

"...I'm not. I'm staying here, and getting revenge for my clan."

"W-what?! That's crazy!" shouted Gamatatsu from Naruto's shoulder.

"I know it is, but..." Konohamaru looked toward the capital. "The name Konohamaru... my grandfather was the one who convinced my parents to name me that. He told them: _a child born with enough fire to ignite the spirit of Konoha itself – that's who my grandson will be. _Someone who bears that name can't just run away from the capital he was named after. My grandfather, my entire clan... they all deserve better than that."

Naruto and Konohamaru met gazes. The flame between them burned brightly. It was like what Naruto felt with Sasuke, but it was different. The blonde smiled and tussled the youngster's hair.

"I gotcha loud and clear, Konohamaru. I understand what you're going through right now. Just promise me one thing: don't do what I would I do, because that will definitely get you killed."

The young Sarutobi blushed a little and scratched the back of his head. Naruto hopped into the carriage with Gamatatsu. Somehow, Lee had got there before him. The driver whipped his reigns and the horse neighed and began its trot.

"Show me around the capital next time, alright Konohamaru!" Naruto shouted back.

"Yeah! I'll show you a place that makes that best noodles in town!"

Naruto waved a bit longer before ducking inside the hay with Lee. While he hid, he thought about everything that had happened – his bounty, Konohamaru's clan being slaughtered, Danzo being killed at the Brandishing Ceremony and his defeat by the hands of Sasuke.

He gazed at the passing clouds. "...am I any closer to finding out the truth, Dad?"


End file.
